For a long time mention has been made in the press and from
the Duma rostrum (in the speech of the Social-Democrat Petrovsky, for
instance[1]) of the absolute indecency, the reactionary character and
the impudence of statements made by certain influential Cadets (headed by
Mr. Struve) on the Ukrainian question.

A few days ago we came across an article in Rech, the official
organ of the Constitutional-Democratic Party, written by one of its regular
contributors, Mr. Mikhail Mogilyansky, an article that must not be
ignored.

This article is real chauvinist badgering of the Ukrainians for
“separatism”. “Reckless adventurism”, “political delirium”, “a
political adventure”—are some of the expressions which fill the article
of Mr. Mikhail Mogilyansky, a Novoye Vremya adherent of the purest
water who hides under a mantle of “democracy”! Yet the
Constitutional-“Democratic” Party shamelessly provides cover for this
article, publishes it with sympathy and by its silence approves such naked
chauvinism.

Mr. Mikhail Mogilyansky himself points out that at the All-Ukraine
Student Congress in Lvov some Ukrainian Social-Democrats, Ukrainian
émigrés from Russia, also spoke against the slogan of
political independence for the Ukraine; they spoke against the
Social-Democrat Dontsov, who proposed the resolution on “an independent
Ukraine” that was adopted at the congress by a majority of all present
against two.

It follows, therefore, that there is no question of all
Social-Democrats agreeing with Dontsov. But the Social-Democrats disputed
the matter with Dontsov, put forward their
own arguments, discussed the matter from the same platform and attempted to
convince the same audience.

Mr. Mikhail Mogilyansky lost all sense of elementary political decency
when he hurled his coarse invective drawn from the lexicon of the Black
Hundreds against Dontsov and against the entire congress of Ukrainian
students, knowing full well that it was impossible for his opponents to
refute the views of Rech, that it was impossible for them to speak
to the Russian audience from the same platform and just as resolutely,
openly and freely.

They are pitiful democrats, our Cadets! And those who tolerate, without
a violent protest, such sallies by the Cadets are pitiful democrats,
too. Marxists will never allow their heads to be turned by nationalist
slogans whether they are Great-Russian, Polish, Jewish, Ukrainian or any
other. Nor do Marxists ever forget the elementary duty of any democrat to
struggle against any persecution of any nation for “separatism”, the duty
to fight for the recognition of the full and unqualified equality of
nations, and their right to self-determination.

Views may differ on what this self-determination should be, from the
point of view of the proletariat, in each individual case. One can and must
dispute with social-nationalists of the Dontsov type, but base persecution
for “separatism”, the persecution of people who are unable to defend
themselves, is the very limit of shamelessness on the part of our Cadets.

Notes

[1]The Bolshevik Deputy, G. I. Petrovsky, spoke at the session
of the State Duma on May 20 (June 2), 1913, during the debate on the estimates
of the Ministry of the Interior. The speech was draft ed by Lenin. In a letter
dated April 18 (May 1), 1913, sent by Nadezhda Krupskaya from Cracow to
St. Petersburg on Lenin’s instructions, she said that every effort must be
made to deliver the speech in full on account of its outstanding importance. The
manuscript of the draft has not been found.